Snake In The Garden

Posted by Rachel {Raw-kul} on Apr 30, 2012 in Garden Style, Gloves, Hats, Jackets | 12 comments

Four of my chickens discovered a snake in the garden on Friday. It was a deadly Copperhead snake that is common in the deep South. This is the second one we have found in our neighborhood.

The snake incident prompted this outfit. Since my new Via Spiga booties are suede and snakeskin, I had to put an outfit together so I could take a stroll in the garden, sans Mr. Copperhead.

Yes, these booties are over my 3.5 inch heel height limit, but the 1/2 inch platform makes the shoe feel like a 3.5 inch heel so…

 

 

The skirt with the high waist is from one of  my favorite designers, Adolpho Dominguez. Made in Spain and tailored to perfection, I bought this skirt at an airport store in Houston when I used to travel every few weeks, over three years ago.

 

 

Listening to Cocoa telling me what happened with the snake and wearing my favorite 21 button velvet jacket from J. Peterman.

 

Back in my mid-thirties, when I used to be addicted to home shopping channels, I bought several silver masterpieces from Nicky Butler.

The earrings are Moonstone, Quartz and Tanzanite, and the necklace is Garnet.

 

I can't get enough of these booties, so you have to deal with numerous photos of them now…

 

 

 

These stockings are on their last leg… they are worn out. I desperately need to take a trip to New York to replenish my supply. Yes, I will take a trip to New York just to get stockings. They are that important to me.

 

 

 

 

 

These gloves are so cool, and I mean that literally. It is like not wearing gloves at all. Except for all the snagging of the sequins on EVERYTHING, it is practically like wearing no gloves at all. Really.

 

 

 

 

I don't know what to call this head-hat-scarf ensemble. I am not sure how I even wrapped my head, but there is a hat and a very long black gauze scarf involved (and plenty of twisting, stuffing and tucking).

 

 

Handy Snake Tip:

Snakes like to come out from hiding during the day. Being that they are cold blooded, they are attracted to the sun.

 

Stay safe and watch out for snakes!

Cotton Dress for Lunch

Posted by Rachel {Raw-kul} on Apr 16, 2012 in 1950's, Bags, Gloves | 4 comments

Here is a lovely cotton and embroidered dress from the 1950's, just perfect for spring.

I decided to wear it today when I went to lunch with my two daughters.

 

The sweater I picked from my own closet didn't work, so I borrowed this olive one from my younger daughter (the one who picked out the Rooster suede booties).

 

This dress is too short for me.

It makes me very uncomfortable.

I am from that generation that believed knees should be covered at all times.

I still do.

 

My youngest LOVES this dress. She is a PICKY fashionista but this one suits her just fine.

I will hand it over after I let down the hem a couple of inches.

 

This photo demonstrates why models need  l o n g  legs and why a 5'4" model would never make it on the runway.

Nuff said.

We had an amazing lunch at Broadway Cafe, a vegetarian/vegan eatery in Atlanta.

Loved the Thai salad!

So here is what really happened with my outfit at lunch…

I couldn't stand the thought that my dress would show my knees and knowing that sitting down makes the dress raise up even higher made me run upstairs and slip into this silk dress from J. Peterman at the last minute (while the girls were waiting in the car).

I kicked off the Roosters, stepped into the beige flats and I was out the door.

I was comfortable and happy during lunch and my knees were not an issue.

 

Yes, of course, my gloves are in my purse.

I didn't have a chance to put them on before this picture was snapped.

See you next time!

 

 

Hair Hat: Aura Custom Wigs   Slightly Crooked Glasses: Burberry    Bag: Beijo (shhhh… I am giving a new one away shortly, so stay tuned!)

Fall in Spring My Dear Harry

Posted by Rachel {Raw-kul} on Apr 12, 2012 in 1920's, Bags, Gloves, Hats, WM Personal Style | 6 comments

I ordered the packable 1920's wool hat above from Ameche Vintage, another fabulous Etsy vendor.

Included in the package was a letter written and mailed in April of 1902, addressed to Harry G. Pearson.

After opening the envelope and beginning to read the letter, I suddenly felt it was not proper to read this private correspondence.

I only got as far as, "My Dear Harry." 

 

 

A cold front rolled into the deep South in Spring.

My trusty coat from the Sundance Catalog (thank you Robert Redford!) is usually my first pick when there is a chill in the air. I purchased this grand frock almost 7 years ago and I have yet to find one that is anything like it. It is a timeless piece and doesn't understand a thing about aging. 

 

 

 

 

 

Scarf by Ann Taylor.

The bag is from Beijo and it has been a constant in my style for the last couple of months.

NOTICE! If you purchase a Beijo bag from this LINK, I will get money because I am a Beijo consultant. 

The booties were picked out by my 14 year old daughter. She sent me an email and said, "Mom, I think you will like these."

She was right.

And at a price of $70, I more like heart them.

 

Seam not centered. It happens.

    

Incredibly, these booties are actually comfortable.

  

 

  

 

The shoes are from Rooster.

My daughter thought that was funny, being we don't have one around on the urban farm.

Speaking of roosters, did you know that hens lay eggs without any rooster participation at all?

Yes, that's right.

My ladies don't need a rooster around to create their golden egg goodness. 

 

Stay warm and elegant!

1950′s Crazy Hat Lady

Posted by Rachel {Raw-kul} on Apr 9, 2012 in 1950's, Gloves, Hats, WM Personal Style | 15 comments

How fun is this topper covered in plumage!

The color of these feathers reminds me of my top chicken, "Helen". She rules the roost on the urban farm and her Rhode Island Red good looks would make a beautiful hat for sure.

For the time being though, Helen will be best off providing the gorgeous eggs she does daily. They are a most beautiful color of glossy brown and look more like enamel than egg shell.

Whenever I get to pull one of Helen's eggs out of the coop, I can't help but marvel at how lovely her eggs are.

But this post is not about chickens so let's get to it!

This fantastic hat was a perfect match for this 1950's wiggle dress by Pat Premo that I snagged from Etsy recently.

Jacalyn Wollenburg (jbvl.wollenberg at yahoo.com) sold me the dress and I want to thank her very much!

It was like this dress has been waiting 60 years to get to me. It fits like a comfortable glove and I absolutely adore it! 

The crazy feather hat is from Some Like it Vintage and I have to say that it is in perfect condition. They tell the truth there. So believe them when they make comments on the wear of their hats and garments. 

 

The hat is a full coverage hat.

I think back in the day when women had "bad hair" days, they put on a hat with better looking hay instead.

I chose the Minnie Mouse black suede pumps to go with this Wiggle Dress. I think Minnie would approve.

The perfect length dress! Be still my heart (I am not kidding)!

I can sit without worrying if someone can see up my dress! This is important if you want to be an elegant dresser.

Elegance means being lady-like and that means covering up those lady parts (all the time…)!

Elegant and revealing are on total opposite sides of the fence. 

There will always be issues when you have unprofessionals take your blog photos. This pic is a perfect example. Notice I am not fully buttoned up. The top hook is undone but the photographer (my husband) didn't notice it. He just kept snapping away!

I guess I should confess now that many of my friends find me to be a bit "whacky' (can you believe it?).

They have referred to me as being like Lucy (many times). Typical gifts from my friends include items such as:

• Lucy episode dolls
• Vitameatavegamin candy
• Marriage self help books from Lucy & Ricky
• Any type of Lucy memorabilia or something with a Ricky accent 

I think I have that crazy Lucy look in my eye in this shot. And those red feathers…

 

More issues with the amateur photographer. He does't understand angles… or how to NOT add 10 pounds.

In this shot, he made my seams look they were covering "chunky turkey drumsticks".

Dear husband, I am trumping on you. YOU'RE FIRED!

If you haven't noticed, I have a serious typo running in the photos. I say, "1960's Crazy Hat Lady" but meant 1950's. Being that I am too busy to redo the photos, they are staying 1960's.

I figured since I was born in 1963, it still works.

Now for the video portion of this blog post.

Enjoy!

 

 

Perfect Beige Flats and Mesh Gloves

Posted by Rachel {Raw-kul} on Apr 3, 2012 in Gloves, Shoes | 6 comments

I have been in dire need of a comfy pair of beige skimmers and these from Cole Haan that landed on my porch yesterday literally fit like a GLOVE when I put them on my feet. 

I wore these beige beauties the entire day and didn't want to take them off because they feel more like slippers than a pair of kicks.

The infamous seam (yeah, it is infamous now that I have been exposing these seams on the blog for two months straight now.)

These mesh gloves are heaven! So cool, literally, but just enough glove to handle any potential clamminess that some of ladies can get.

The sequins add pizazz to these airy gloves! But they also get caught on everything, so wear these gloves with care. And don't get angry when they snag your stockings.

I am busted.

I know you all thought that my skin was actually the shade of these beige stockings, but alas, these legs haven't seen the sun in a couple of decades. So white are my legs that they have been ordered to stay undercover for the rest of my life.

I was born and raised in California and white legs are not acceptable there. Moreover, white legs do nothing to hide the veins, pores, sun spots or any other natural accessory you were given over time. I have more than 10 reasons why all women should cover their gams when they are past 12 years old. For another post!

I highly recommend these beige flats from Cole Haan. 

Until next time,

Practicality of Wearing White Gloves Daily

Posted by Rachel {Raw-kul} on Apr 1, 2012 in Gloves | 4 comments

A TUTORIAL (sort of)

Lovely ladies, I can prove to you how practical it is to wear white gloves on a daily basis, especially gorgeous, butter soft, Italian, leather gloves that truly match with everything. If it worked for Minnie Mouse and countless other women, it can certainly work for you too.

I was enjoying playing with my three month old Greater Swiss Mountain Puppy today, and the white leather gloves were absolutely perfect! 

Notice the pearl button. Fortunately for me, Winston didn't notice it…

He was getting out of hand so I had to pull both gloves out. His jaw is wrapped around my hand but the white gloves are doing a marvelous job of protecting my still fragile and healing paws.

I didn't feel the ice pick sharp feeling of his teeth almost breaking the skin (like I normally do) once. In fact, these white leather gloves were a life saver! I was able to handle all of Winston's nips (with bone crushing strength) without feeling a thing! 

I am sure it is easy to see how practical white gloves can be from the tutorial above.

Make sure to pick up a pair soon, so you too can reap all the handy benefits in your life.